


Battle of the Centurians (or Something Like That)

by foreverHenry919



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Enemies, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Relationship(s), Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 22:10:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9348605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverHenry919/pseuds/foreverHenry919
Summary: Abe referees a boxing match between Henry and Adam so they can get it out of their systems.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own "Forever" or any of its characters.

Adam was back and he wanted revenge. He realized that his theory of the weapons that had made Henry and him immortal could also be used to permanently kill them, was wrong. After their confrontation several months earlier on the abandoned subway platform, where he'd shot and killed Henry with the flintlock pistol, Henry had returned to life as usual in a nearby river. Therefore, the same would hold true for his pugio dagger that had killed him in 44 BC. He'd returned to pester the junior immortal with his usual brand of crank calls and cryptic messages mailed to both his job and to the antique shop. One night he'd even spray painted in large, red letters on the outside window of the shop, "I voted for Trump", which had enraged some of their neighbors, who'd smeared the shop's window with raw eggs.

For Henry, that was the last straw and he'd managed to turn the tables on Adam. One evening he'd followed him home to find out where he lived. A few days later, he'd sneaked into Adam's apartment and poured molasses into every single pair of his shoes. All three of them. Then he'd poured cement down in all the drains. Lastly, he'd switched out Adam's boxer shorts with pink, lacy women's underwear. For a final touch, he'd embroidered the words "Kick Me" onto the backs of all of Adam's suits. All three of them.

The war between the two had escalated to the point where it had spilled over into every aspect of their lives and those around them. Abe had had enough of the petty squabbling and immature besting of each other, so he'd managed to convince them to settle their differences in a boxing match. Surprisingly, they had both agreed and the day of the match had finally arrived, with Abe as the referee.

In one corner, his father was impeccably dressed in matching black designer robe, shoes and shorts with his initials tastefully monogrammed on the white stripe down the side of his shorts. He alternately punched rapidly at the air several times and then danced lightly from foot to foot. After each flurry of punches he shot a glaring glance at Adam.

Adam was just the opposite. Cool as a cucumber, he sat on his stool with both arms extended out to the sides as he rested them on the ropes. He was dressed in a pale blue terrycloth bathrobe, snatched from the Salvation Army donation bin. It was the best he could do on such short notice since his only other option was the satiny blue robe with "Babydoll" embroidered diagonally across the front that Henry had placed in his locker. His shorts and shoes were designer knockoffs of Henry's. And they looked like it. Henry was leather to Adam's pleather. No matter, he thought to himself. He wasn't here for a fashion show. He was here to knock Henry on his butt.

Finally, the two men approached the center of the ring. Abe, dressed in a white Oxford shirt, black slacks, shoes and bowtie, gave the instructions to both of them.

"Shake hands and come out fighting," he instructed them.

Henry: "I've sparred with John L. Sullivan."

Adam: "I've sparred with Mark Antony."

Abe rolled his eyes with his hands on his hips and muttered to the both of them to just quit it, _just_ quit it. The two men licked their tongues at each other and sauntered back to their respective corners. Jo yanked Henry down onto his stool and dug her nails into his shoulders. He winced and she pulled him back and whispered in his ear for him to act his age. His _true_ age, to which he merely grunted.

Adam received basically the same treatment when he approached his own corner. Joanna Reece was working his corner and he had to admit that the woman scared the pants off of him. And he kinda liked it. He quickly sat down on his stool and leaned back so she could dig her nails into his shoulders, as well. When she didn't, he turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder. He mockingly jiggled one of his shoulders and smiled at her.

She leaned forward with the most no-nonsense expression and whispered in his ear, "I told you already, you little pale-faced freak, I ain't touchin' you!"

He let out a groan of disappointment and made a secret vow to himself. _'One day. One day.'_ He sat comfortably back and waited for the bell. 

Joanna whispered into his ear again. "I see that smirky smile of yours, sucker. You don't fool me. I know exactly what's on your mind, you little freak. My husband dusts me up just fine, ya hear? Now get out there and get this finished. I'm only doing this because nobody else would work your corner. And I'm rooting for Henry to knock that stupid smile off yo face!"

Such fire, such sass, he drooled to himself. One day. One day.

The bell rang and the two combatants plowed into each other as their arms flailed at each other. Adam grabbed Henry's curls (and who knows how he accomplished that with those boxing gloves on) and pulled his head back and dragged him backward around the ring, then tossed him down onto the mat.

Abe stepped in and pushed Adam back. "This is not a wrestling match, you idiot!" he warned him through clenched teeth. Adam mugged at him with great self-satisfaction.

Henry jumped up and rubbed his head. Abe stepped aside to allow them to resume the match. Henry raised his gloves in the classic boxing stance and Adam did the same. They circled around each other several times and gingerly touched gloves every once in a while.

The small crowd booed. Adam suddenly stopped and pointed down to Henry's shoes. Henry looked down and Adam delivered an uppercut which sent Henry sprawling. Adam raised his arms over his head and smiled around at the small audience who booed some more. Henry lifted himself up onto his knees and yanked Adam's shorts down. The onlookers roared, stomped and cheered at the sight of the pink, lacy women's underwear he wore.

Henry gleefully rose to his feet as Adam scrambled to pull his boxing shorts back up. He was so angry and embarrassed that his protective mouth guard fell out of his mouth onto the canvas and he growled when Henry kicked it into the audience. It was now Henry's turn to raise his gloves over his head and smile around at the small audience. His actions were met with cheers and applause, which enraged Adam more. Someone in the audience threw Adam's mouthguard back into the ring, hitting him in the nose. The small crowd erupted in laughter. Thankfully, the bell rang to end the first round.

Henry's corner ...

"Henry, what was that? You said you knew how to box? This is embarrassing!"

"I told you that I had _studied_ boxing, Detective, there is a difference."

"Obviously," she muttered. "And all of a sudden I'm Detective again? Look, try to pretend that you're John L. Sullivan and knock him out or you can forget our date tomorrow night, _Doctor_."

"Don't you think you're being a bit unfair, Jo?"

"Oh, now I'm Jo again, right?"

Adam's corner ...

"Why don't I have a water bottle and a bucket to spit it into like _he_  has?"

"Because I didn't bring them."

"Why not? You're supposed to be on _my_ side."

"I am not on your side, I already told you that. Nobody else wanted to get this close to you. Henry's gonna win ... I think .... I hope ... both y'all fighting like girls."

"I do not fight ---- "

"You sho don't."

The bell rang for the second of three rounds. It went pretty much the same as the first round, the highlight of which Adam jumped on Henry's back and bit him on the ear. Abe managed to separate them and punched Adam in the nose himself.

"Bite my old man, will ya? Take that!"

Henry's corner ...

"You let that little weasel climb on your back and bite you?"

"I didn't _let_ him, he just _did_ it!" He opened his mouth to say more but she shoved the straw from the water bottle into his mouth. They glared at each other as he sucked the water into his mouth and squished it around.

"Spit!" she pointed to the bucket near his foot.

He picked it up and leaned over it and dribbled the water neatly into it.

Jo snatched the bucket from him. "Henry, what are you doing?"

"I," he drew out, "do not spit."

Jo rolled her eyes and sighed.

Adam's corner ...

"You little weasel, you climbed onto his back and bit him?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time. I merely saw an opening and took it."

"This is not anything goes, you little rat!"

He frowned at her offensive language. "Hmmm, you sound upset." He smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. "Perhaps we should discuss my misbehaving over a candlelight dinner."

"I'll light a candle to your butt if you don't quit that kinda talk. Now get back out there and fight like you think you mighta used to wanna be a man. Okay?"

The bell rang for the third and final round. Both men fought, if one could call it that, with as much grace and aplomb as bears in tutus. Even Abe whispered to his father to get his act together and stop embarrassing him with this crazy mucky-muck kinda fighting. Henry saw how Jo fumed in anger in his corner and it seemed to spark something in him. Okay. He was ready to really fight now.

Adam, likewise, saw Joanna's glowering look of disdain in his corner and vowed to make her proud of him. And get her to agree to a date. So she could light that candle to his butt. Woo, hoo, hoo, hoo, that sounded delightful. _Simply_ delightful.

The two men squared off in the center of the ring in the classic boxing pose. They danced lightly and expertly from foot to foot. They bobbed and weaved and waited for the opportune moment. Just before the bell rang to end the round, both men's gloves landed on the other's chin and they knocked each other out cold.

Abe groaned and rolled his eyes because he realized that a draw would not be good enough. One had to best the other in order for this to be an end to their blood feud. Then he got an idea. He raised the right hand of both unconscious men and declared them both the winner.

The next night ...

Henry and Jo enjoyed a romantic dinner on the shop's rooftop patio.

"Are you certain, Jo, that I won the match. I'm drawing a complete blank on the last few moments."

"Oh, yeah, you most definitely knocked Adam out cold. It was a remarkable finish."

"Hmmm, so that means the feud between him and me is over, right?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah. You can both just go about your lives now not bothering each other."

"Well, that's something good to drink to." They clinked their champagne glasses together. "To the end of the feud," Henry declared with a broad grin. Jo smiled and sipped her champagne, her fingers crossed behind her back.

Joanna Reece's house ...

"And who is that out there?" Samuel Reece asked with much indignation.

"That," Joanna sighed, "is Adam."

"The nut case that was stalking Henry Morgan a while back?"

"Yes," she tiredly replied.

"What's he doin' here?"

"Stalking me now, I guess. He's crazy!"

"Well, uh, I'll just go down and have a little talk with him. Me and my friends."

"What friends, Sam?"

He pulled something down from the top shelf of their closet and turned around with a big grin on his face. "Smith and Wesson." He removed the safety and headed for the stairs. "I'll show that little sucka. Come to my house and try to Bogart in on _my_ woman! Little crazy lookin' sucka. He don't know who he messin' with!"

Joanna thought at first to stop him, but since Adam would awaken in the river after her Sam shot him ... She opened the bedroom window and yelled down to her husband. "Just shoot the sucka in the butt. Don't kill him. Just shoot him in his butt." When she knew that Sam understood, she leaned out of the window and rested her arms on the window sill to enjoy the fun. She watched Sam tackle and wrestle Adam to the ground and grinned when she heard the gun shot.

As Adam lay there on the sidewalk and groaned in pain, he tossed the flowers and candy into the street in disgust.

Joanna shouted, "And that's what you'll get every time you come back here!" She closed the window and the curtains. "Freak," she muttered under her breath.

 


End file.
